Crowd to Craft Beer via Facebook

Written by Donna Goodison for Bostonherald.com

Samuel Adams is giving its social network a say in the brewing process by crowd-sourcing a beer.

Using the “Crowd Craft Project” app, Facebook fans can determine the color, clarity, body and character of the malt, hops and yeast for the collaborative ale, which will make its debut during the South by Southwest Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas.

“We’re reaching out to our Facebook fans to engage them at the beginning of the beer-marking process, asking them for their ideas on what their perfect beer would be,” Sam Adams brewer Bert Boyce said. “We’ll put that input together and we’ll brew a beer for them.”

Samuel Adams owner Boston Beer Co. has teamed up with social media expert Guy Kawasaki, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist and former self-described Apple “evangelist,” for the event.

“Beer is very social,” Boyce said. “Technology is becoming more and more used for that social aspect and to generate conversation. We’re reaching out to our online drinkers to take the conversation to another level.”

The beer will be unveiled at Kawasaki’s Girl + Guy party in Austin on March 10 and will be available at select Austin bars and the Sam Adams brewery in Boston.

“If it becomes a hit, by all means we’ll take it to the next level, and our Facebook fans will be the first to know,” Boyce said.

Facebook fans can weigh in on their beer preferences through Feb. 5 at www.samueladams.com/crowdcraftproject.